


You Don't Own Me

by jeffthemermaid



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst and Feels, As in a delinquent teenage son, Break Up, Children, Cussing, Divorce, Drama & Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Heavy Angst, Lawyers, Marijuana, On-Again/Off-Again Relationship, Original Character(s), Pregnancy, Pregnant, Recreational Drug Use, Regina is a working mom, Slow Build, Teen Romance, baby daddy troubles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-02-03 06:51:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12743211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeffthemermaid/pseuds/jeffthemermaid
Summary: Regina Mills is devastated when her wife, Emma Swan, the love of her life, leaves her, and their children, for her company's intern, Belle. What will happen when the donor-father of their children suddenly enters her life in the form of Robin Hood? And will Gold's corruption of Belle leave Emma alone, and will Regina take her back? AU Storybrooke. No Magic. Crass LanguageBOTH SWANQUEEN AND OUTLAWQUEEN ARE FEATURED IN THIS STORY





	1. Chapter 1

“You’re in love with the girl that brings my coffee?”

Regina was incredulous. '  
“I’m sorry, but I am, I didn’t mean to be. It just happened.” Emma wailed, mopping at her eyes with the sleeves of her jacket.

“You’re leaving me?” Regina was still trying to wrap her head around this ridiculous turn her life had just taken. 

Emma nodded her confirmation, her lip trembling as Regina’s eyes flashed with a mixture of rage and fear.

Emma, the love of her life, didn’t love her anymore?

Her wife’s silence only confirmed her worst fears.

“You don’t love me anymore.” Regina said numbly, repeating out loud the words in her head. 

Emma didn’t reply, she didn’t have to, her guilt was written all over her face. 

“When? When did you stop loving me?” She asked, her voice felt hollow, she felt hollow, she could feel her heart breaking, her world crumbling.

“Months ago.” Emma whispered. 

Regina swallowed hard, her knees suddenly going weak as her world fell out from under her.  
“And how long have you been with this woman?”

“A year.”

Regina snapped to attention the haze of pain disappearing as it was replaced with rage of betrayal.

“You selfish bitch. You unbelievable whore. You’ve been with her all this time? And you let me go ahead and get pregnant with the baby we’ve always wanted?” Regina couldn’t believe the cruelty of these actions, her hand automatically resting on her slightly protruding belly as she stepped away from her wife. 

“We’re married. We’re expecting a baby. And you’ve been bedding someone else for a year, as well as me? And loving her, but not loving me?” Regina could feel the tears streaming down her face but all she could feel was an overwhelming sense of injustice.  
Emma could only nod, tears poured down her face, her throat choked with shame. 

“What about the children?” Regina asked, suddenly terrified that Emma, would try and take her babies away. 

“I still love them.” Emma sobbed, choking out the words. 

Regina couldn’t even look at her.

“Get out. Just leave, get out.” She stood and grabbed Emma’s coat, throwing it at her, her handbag, her phone, hurling them all at her soon to be ex-wife. “Get the fuck out.”  
“Regina!” Emma begged, finding her voice, but Regina wouldn’t listen to anymore.

“GET OUT!”

“IT’S MY HOUSE!” Emma bellowed as she dodged the things being thrown at her. 

“FINE. I’ll go.” Regina spat, pushing past Emma, wrenching their bedroom door open and storming out. Tears blurred her vision as she hurried down the hall and the stairs, escaping outside into the frigid winter air.

Snow crunched under her feet as she walked to her car, crossing her arms for warmth, her coat, scarf and gloves barely shielding her from the icy air.  
Once in her car she blasted the heat, sitting in the driveway while the engine warmed up, her body heaving as great sobs racked her body.  
Before today the idea of Emma not loving her, or betraying her like this was incomprehensible. Now it had been forced upon her and was very real. And it hurt so badly. It hurt more than she could bear. 

She just felt so blindsided. It’s not like their marriage had been deteriorating for years and was ending. No, as far as Regina had known they’d been happy and content right up until their conversation. She’d had no idea the extent of the betrayal. This was an ending with no closure. It was like she’d been hit by a truck. One second she has a beautiful wife whom she adores. Next minute, she doesn’t, and the wife hasn’t died or anything, no, she just doesn’t love her and is in love with someone else instead. And she’s been fucking that someone for the last year. 

“God I’m such a fool.” Regina moaned, resting her head on the steering wheel as she tried to calm down, reigning on her sobs.  
Now she had to live with the heartbreak and the knowledge that she loved someone who no longer loved her. Not to mention that the bitch who was replacing her was barely 20 and FUCKING WORKED AT HER FIRM.

Belle. Her fucking name was Belle. She was an intern where Regina worked, at Gold and Son’s Law Firm, where she herself was a prominent lawyer and a partner to the company.  
How Emma had managed to ruin her life on so many levels perplexed her. Cheat on her, with someone from her workplace, and then fall in love with them? Essentially ruining her marriage, her workplace and her social life with one fell swoop. 

Eventually Regina ran out of tears, her eyes drying up, her cheeks stained as steeled herself to carry on. She had to deal with this and she’d deal with it in style, or her name wasn’t Regina Mills.

She pulled out of her driveway and into the snowy street, her sleek new Audi purring up the icy road. She kept her speed low, her driving careful, as she navigated her way through the quaint, but frozen little town of Story Brooke.

“What am I going to say to the kids?” She wondered aloud, as she pulled up outside their school. For god’s sake, she was hardly able to process the news, how could she tell them? She ran over ways she could break the news as she reapplied her make up in the rear-view mirror, attempting to hide her red eyes and swollen cheeks.  
Emma and Regina had three children. The oldest, Damon, was Regina’s biological son, she’d had him when she was only 18, the same age as he was now. The captain of the football team had ignored her disregard for his advances and then ignored her as she screamed no and forced himself inside her. In the aftermath of the rape she had discovered she was pregnant. 

And she had cried. For days. Eventually she decided to keep the baby, and despite the struggle and hardship, she had completed high school and graduated from Yale Law.  
Her mother had kicked her out for keeping him, certain it would destroy her life. But her father had supported her, helped her financially, baby sat, helped her get a part time job, paid for her to attend Yale after she was accepted, and looked after Damon during her exams. It had taken a lot of hard work but Regina had managed to study and qualify for the career she wanted and raise a child. Damon was six years old when she passed the bar and was the first person she’d told in her excitement. They were very close, even now, though he was also very affectionate of his adoptive mother, Emma. 

Their middle child was Henry, 10 he was biologically Emma’s, he was conceived from a one night stand before their relationship began. Emma was two months pregnant with him, and unaware of his existence, when she and Regina met and began dating.  
A month later she figured out she was pregnant. And to both of their surprise it didn’t strain the relationship. Regina already had the eight year old Damon, and another addition, even so soon, only added to their happiness. Henry had always felt just as much hers as his brothers, Regina was there when he was born, had raised him. He was her son. They all were.

Their current youngest child, Daniel, was 7, and was Regina’s biologically as well. She was the more maternal of the two women and though she loved Damon dearly, as she also did Henry, she longed to carry a child intentionally. So she and Emma had agreed and gone to a sperm bank. It had worked the first time, despite all their worry and fear, and nine months later she’d given birth to their third bouncing baby boy. 

And that was their family. Regina was the primary provider for the family, working full time as a lawyer until she made partner and got to decrease her hours to half weeks on her new and large salary. Gold was a good employer and Regina was his favourite, she never had to worry about her job when she went on maternity leave.  
Emma was the stay at home mom, and she was good at it, and yet despite her being at home and Regina out working, Emma had always taken on a more fatherly role, Regina being the real momma of the two.

It had always worked.

Until Emma decided to put her head between someone else’s legs and leave her devoted wife for a trollop.

Regina was only 36, Emma 37, both gorgeous. Emma was a tall and willowy blonde. 

Regina was like an amazon warrior, flawless olive skin, tall narrow frame, legs to kill for, luscious black hair, cut into a fashionable bob, dark, beautiful eyes, and lashes for days. Motherhood had given her large breasts, stretchmark’s, and curves in all the right places. Her usually flat stomach was currently a cute little bulge beneath her pencil skirt, she was two months along with baby number four, their second to be created with the help of a donor. 

This baby was the next step in their family. But now their family was torn apart. And now she had to face her kids.


	2. Chapter 2

“Why do we have to move?” Henry groaned as Regina dumped an armful of boxes on his bed. 

“Because, your mom wants to sell this house, and technically it hers, she inherited from her grandfather before we were married.” Regina repeated for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Her sons had all reacted to the split differently. 

Damon had been outraged and still hasn’t spoken a word to Emma. He couldn’t believe she’d just throw his mother away like that and had been lying to them all for a year.   
Henry was just unhappy to be moving. He didn’t really seem to mind the imminent divorce, he was mostly rejoicing at the idea of having two houses and two of everything, even though he hated moving. 

Daniel was very upset, he couldn’t comprehend that his mommies didn’t love each other anymore and didn’t understand why Emma wasn’t moving to the same house with them.  
Despite her protests, Regina had denied Emma’s plea to keep the kids, she was moving them with her until the divorce proceedings began and custody was sorted.   
Custody was already a bit complicated in their house as it was. Unfortunately due to an exceptionally hateful law, a rapist may have access to his child. So ever since he got out of prison when Damon was 4, his father has demanded to visit with him. He visits once a month and does nothing but show off his rich life and brag about the girls he bangs. He calls Regina and Emma dykes and does nothing but provide them with grief and displeasure. 

Damon loathed him but technically had to see him until he turns 21 and can refuse. Regina does all she can to get him out of it, pretending he’s sick or has a class trip whenever she can. Having to see the man who raped her was a horrific affair but she’d grown accustomed to the pain.

Emma’s one night stand, Neal Cassidy, was a much nicer male specimen. He was a lovely guy, who wasn’t ready to raise a kid and had no feelings for Emma besides attraction. He had respected their wishes to raise him but had been grateful Emma had told him of his son’s existence before he was born. He was positive part of Henrys life. He sent birthday and Christmas cards and gifts and came to visit him half a dozen times a year. He was sort of like a god parent in Henrys life and it had always worked. Neal had no desire to have custody but still cherished the boy and maintained that being in his life was a priority. 

Luckily they had no idea who Daniels dad was, the anonymous donor not a part of their lives in anyway. Thank god, because it was already complicated enough, and with the divorce proceedings due to get underway next month, they were about to get a lot harder.

“Right, get a move on, the van is going to be here any minute.” Regina ordered as she grabbed a stack of packed boxes and hauled them downstairs.  
“Where the fuck are my crystal glasses?” Emma demanded, appearing in Regina’s view, her hair scraped back, make up free and looking frazzled.   
“What the hell are you talking about?” Regina snapped as she added the boxes to the pile in the hall. 

“My crystal glasses, the ones we use at Christmas.” Emma specified, planting her hands on her hips.   
Regina snorted incredulously. “You mean the crystal glasses my father gave us at our engagement party? They’re packed, they’re mine.”   
Emma opened her mouth to argue, but was interrupted by the doorbell and the phone ringing simultaneously.   
Regina lunged for the phone seconds before Emma did, grabbing it and clutching it to her chest before Emma could grab it. “Get the door.” She hissed a she put the phone to her ear.

“Fine.” Emma started for the door. “But those glasses are mine!”  
“Hello, Mills residence, with whom am I speaking?” Regina uttered, her voice the epitome of polite as she flipped the bird at her wife’s back.  
“Hello Regina?” An unfamiliar voice crackled on the line. “Yes this is she.” Regina confirmed as she glared ferociously at the woman entering her house. It was Belle. The home wrecker. Her replacement. In her house.

“Regina? Regina are you still there?” The voice asked with concern over the line.

Snapping back to attention Regina turned her back on Belle and Emma and focused properly on the phone conversation she was having. “Sorry, yes, how can I help?”

“Hi, glad I’ve got your attention, its Fiona calling from the Francis Jacobs Sperm Donor Centre of Augusta, do you have a minute?”

Regina’s skipped a beat. Why would they be calling her? This was the place they’d used to conceive Daniel, and the unborn child currently residing in her belly. 

“Yes, yes I have minute.” She was apprehensive and found herself automatically sitting down on a stack of boxes as she clutched the phone.

“Well, this isn’t exactly orthodox, but as you know, all of our donors are kept anonymous to clients and vice versa. However we do record exactly whose donations go where, as is protocol, and, well, the thing is, one of our donors recently reached out to us and asked for his donations to be destroyed as he’d had a change of moral ground and didn’t want them used. However it turns out two of his donations have been used, and ugh, were both used successfully with you.” Fiona sounded mortified as she stumbled through this plethora of information. 

Regina felt a little bit sick as she numbly asked Fiona to go on.

“Well, anyway, the donor in question, well he has requested to meet you and Emma. Well he doesn’t know who you are, just asked to meet the couple who used his donations. So I’m calling to ask if you would consider us releasing your details to him.” 

Regina twirled the phone cord, yes they still hadn’t gone cordless in the house, her foot tapping nervously as she digested this information. Should she ask Emma? What if this guy was a weirdo? Yes he had no legal rights to Daniel, she was certain of that, but what if this would be damaging to her son? Did she want this guy contacting her? How would she feel if she was in his shoes?

“Okay, you can release our details to him.”

Regina hung up on the relieved Fiona and stood up, feeling slightly dazed. She didn’t really know what the implications of this choice were, she just didn’t want to withhold a child from someone who cared. God, what a week.

Had she known just how much this decision would change her life, she probably would have looked a lot happier as she entered the dining room to give Emma and Belle a piece of her mind.


	3. Chapter 3

“You can’t be serious.” Regina muttered as she sipped her herbal tea, pretending it was coffee, her craving for the drink running rampant during this pregnancy. She was sitting on the bed in the guest bedroom of her father’s house. Her mother had left him years ago, freeing him up to officially open his heart to his daughter, and now that she too was going through divorce, his home. 

Daniel was fast asleep behind her, sharing her bed every night since the move, it was barely 5am and the house was quiet. The sun wasn’t quite ready to rise, but the faintest light of morning came from the east, easing away the darkness of night as Regina read and re-read the email that had woken her about twenty minutes earlier.  
Shivering a little, she made sure the covers were properly covering her youngest son and manoeuvred her way out through all their boxes stacked in their room. She stooped to take her robe off the door, and put it on, warming herself from the chill of the morning. She carried her tea mug to the kitchen and put it in the sink, still deep in thought. She went next into the living room, where Damon and Henry were asleep on the couches, the older boy snoring softly, and just sat and watched them for a while.  
Eventually she returned to the kitchen and began cooking breakfast. “What kind of name is Robin Hood? Is this a joke?” She wondered aloud as she whisked eggs and milk together in a bowl. 

The email that was troubling her was from the donor whom she’d released her details to only weeks earlier. It was a very professional email, polite, basically he had apologized for inflicting inconvenience on her and her children’s lives and then asked if she would agree to meet him.  
What had thrown her was his name, signed at the end with his business information. Robin Hood. Like the famous outlaw from bedtime stories. She wondered if it was some kind of sick joke, or if it was entirely possible for someone to have that name. Either way she couldn’t help but notice that he was the CEO of a wooden furniture business, which could be considered ironic if one was familiar with the story of Robin Hood. 

She still hadn’t told anyone about the phone call, and though she longed to curl up in bed with Emma and talk through her worries, she was alone now and alone she would deal with this.


	4. Chapter 4

Regina was having a difficult day. 

Daniel was with her at work, he had come down with the flu and couldn’t go to school. Her father had plans, and she didn’t want to impose on him any more than she already had, and she was hardly going to ask Emma for help. And she’d realized quite quickly after moving out of her and Emma’s home that most of their friends were Emma’s friends, leaving Regina with very few people to turn to.

She’d considered getting Damon to stay home with Daniel, but her oldest son had missed too much school already thanks to his bad boy antics, and she was serious about him getting his grades to an acceptable standard.   
She herself couldn’t stay at home as she’d been off for over a week while she processed the grief of her separation, and now she was needed back to prepare for the company’s upcoming merger.

So, Daniel came to work. Regina was a distinguished lawyer and partner at Gold & Sons Law Firm, the only person superior to her in the company was Mr R. Gold himself. The office building was the most modern in Storybrooke, and the nicest. Regina’s office was spacious and well decorated. 

She’d set her son up on her black silk couch with his Gameboy and a blanket and set about her day.  
Which had gotten steadily and steadily worse. 

First, her assistant, the loyal but easily distracted Ruby Redford, hadn’t kept a very comprehensive journal of things Regina had missed while she was away, and she spent the entire morning sorting out and completing the work. 

Lunch had been awful, she was suffering from a surprise bout of morning sickness, this continued right into the afternoon. By the time she had recovered from that she had three different meetings to attend and a pitch to deliver to a prospective marketing contractor.

And she hadn’t managed to see Gold all day, he was tied up with clients, and she needed to go over her current cases with him.   
But the final straw for her god-awful day came as she was readying herself to leave. Daniel was packed up to go and sitting on Ruby’s desk, listening in awe as she explained werewolves to him, and Regina was just jotting down a note to drop in Mr Gold’s office, when she noticed a woman approaching her office.

It was HER.

Regina’s bad mood turned venomous as she laid eyes on Belle, the intern she’d only recently learnt that Emma had been fucking for a year, and had fallen out of love with Regina to fall in love with. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Regina demanded, her dark eyes flashing as Belle approached her, a sickening smile plastered across her attractive features. 

“Hi Regina!” Belle’s voice was ridiculously friendly, but behind her perky aesthetic her eyes were laughing with malicious triumph. “Just dropping off a list of things Emma wants back that you stole from her house.”

Regina slapped the papers Belle was holding out to her to the floor savagely.

Incensed, she had to swallow hard to keep herself from letting this trollop have a taste of what Regina thought of her.  
“If Ms Swan has anything to say to me, she can tell me herself.” Regina retorted, grabbing her handbag from her desk and pushing past the younger girl. 

“Ruby watch Daniel for five minutes please.” She called back as she stalked down the hall, arriving at the ornate door labelled Gold before unceremoniously bursting through it. 

“Gold, what the hell is Belle doing here? Why hasn’t she been fired?” Regina demanded of her business partner and mentor as she entered his lavish office. 

“Regina, do I look like a man who has time to deal with this?” Gold asked her in his strong Irish accent as he gestured at the huge stack of papers across his mahogany desk. 

“Get her out of here Gold, she’s committed gross misconduct, I want her gone, today.” Regina was furious, her anger masking the pain stabbing her heart uncomfortably as she glared at the older man. 

“See now I can’t do that I’m afraid. I hired her to teach her father a lesson about business, and you know I never go back on my lessons.” Gold dismissed her demands almost casually, showing very little remorse at her plight. 

Regina could hardly believe her ears. 

“If not on a business level, as a friend, please, I’m asking you to do me a favour. You can’t make me work with her.” 

Mr Gold’s face showed a glimpse of the affection and sympathy he had for Regina and very few others as he spoke. 

“Regina, you know you are my dearest friend, and if your request didn’t directly conflict with my own purposes, I would grant your favour immediately. But I must deny your request, Belle will stay on until her use is fulfilled.”

Regina clasped her hands together in frustration, ready to argue, before the truth dawned on her. 

“You fancied her. You hired her for yourself.” Regina’s death glare and accusatory tone were the legendary weapons she dominated the courtroom with and anyone other than Gold would have cowered in her presence.

“Indeed.” Gold admitted, shaking his head ruefully. “Unfortunately, she favours your wife, which has been inconvenient for us both.”

“How dare you even compare our situations?” Regina spat, disgusted. “Your unbelievable.” 

She spun on her heel and stalked out of his office, her expression murderous as he called after her with a chuckle.

“See you tomorrow dearie.”


	5. Chapter 5

Following her encounter with Belle and subsequent show down with Gold, Regina was withdrawn, emotionally exhausted and unwilling to talk about it. 

She and Daniel went grocery shopping before going back to her father’s house, where she found Henry at the kitchen table with his grandfather, doing his homework.

“Hi muffin.” She greeted him, wrapping an arm around his head and kissing the top of it despite his protests. “Ah, I’m not a muffin, I’m a man.” Henry corrected her, fixing his hair as she let him go.

“My mistake.” She conceded, her mood cheering slightly a she bantered with her son. 

“How was your day?” She asked her father as she began preparing lasagna for dinner. 

“Splendid, thank you Regina.” He replied, avidly doodling on Henrys homework. “Just golf with the fellows at the club.”

“That’s good.” Regina fastened an apron around her waist and starting assembling her lasagna. 

“Have either of you seen Damon?” She asked as she slid their dinner into the oven. 

“No, can’t say I have.” Her father hadn’t seen him, neither had Henry.

“I’m going to call him, I’ll just be outside.” Regina decided, her brow furrowed, as she took off her apron and headed for the front door, the idea of the crisp evening air very appealing to her.

She pulled out her cell phone, scrolling through her contacts for her oldest sons name as she stepped outside, closing the door and almost stepping on her wife.

Emma was huddled on the step, red leather jacket and white woollen beanie on, her blonde hair flowing freely down her shoulders.

Regina stepped back in surprise, almost immediately tearing up a she drank in Emma’s beauty, longing to wrap herself around her and feel her slender arms around her again. But she couldn’t. Because this wasn’t the woman she’d married. This was the woman who’d broken her heart. 

Her expression hardening Regina crossed her arms and glared down at her soon-to-be ex-wife.

“What do you want?” 

“I want to talk to you.” Emma informed her, getting to her feet and wiping her tear stained cheeks. 

“If you wanted to talk to me maybe you shouldn’t have cheated on me for a year with my intern.” Regina snarled, her eyes flashing dangerously.

Emma held up her hands, her expression one of genuine sorrow and desperation.

“I am not here to defend my actions Regina. You owe me nothing. I never wanted to hurt you, but I have and now we have to deal with that.” Emma sniffed pitifully and gestured at the door. “Can I please come inside and talk to you, face to face, about where we go from here?”

All Regina wanted was to hurt Emma, hurt her like she’d been hurt, make her feel some of that pain. But she had to be better, even if slamming the door in her face would feel a lot better than talking would. 

“You’re not coming inside. You have five minutes.” She permitted her ungraciously, stepping past and sitting down on the frozen step, her eyes fixed on the snow in front of her. “Shoot.”

“I really miss our kids Regina. I miss them so bad. Can you please let me take them to the lake this weekend? It’s frozen and I always take the boys skating. I just, it would mean so much to me.”

Emma was pleading with her, unashamedly. She knew she had no right, that Regina owed her no favours. She wasn’t demanding. She was begging.

And it was piercing Regina right in the heart. She hadn’t stopped loving Emma, she couldn’t just turn it off, and watching her soul mate suffer brought her no joy, despite the hurt she’d inflicted. In fact Regina had to fiercely remind herself of just how deeply Emma had betrayed her to keep herself from scooping her up and holding her tight right there and then.

She was so angry, so frustrated, but she was rational, and even though she let it was unfair to have to share with her, Regina couldn’t bring herself to be the kind of person that used her children as weapons. 

“Alright, you can have them this weekend, if they want to go. And you better not send that whore to me with any more lists or I swear to god I am going to set her, or you, on fire.”

Emma’s face initially lit up in a smile before crumpling in confusion. “Who? Whore? Oh Belle, what list, what are talking about?”

Regina rolled her eyes and spoke scathingly. “You sent her to my office with a list of things I supposedly stole from you when I moved Emma Swan, don’t you try to deny it.”

Emma looked genuinely confused and irritated by this information. “Regina, I know I was shitty about the glasses but I’m over it, they’re yours. There’s nothing else I’ve even noticed is gone. God, I know you’re pissed at me, and I know I deserve it, but do you really think stuff matters to me that much, really Regina?”

“I don’t really know what matters to you anymore.” Regina said. “I just know that I don’t. So if you’ll excuse me, I have people I’d rather spend my evening with.”

Regina stood up, one hand on her belly as she supported herself, and let herself back into the house, locking the door behind her and walking away from it without looking back at Emma. She couldn’t look back, it would have made her cry again and she was sick to death of crying. It’d been years since she’d felt this vulnerable and weak, and she was not enjoying the experience. 

Emma had distracted her from her original task, of finding her oldest son, a fact she was reminded of as her phone started ringing in her hand. 

She recognized the number immediately and her heart sank as she pressed answer.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Regina, its Sherriff Nolan, any chance you can come down to the station? We’ve got Damon in custody.”


	6. Chapter 6

Regina had explained to her father what was happening, and he’d agreed to put the younger boys to bed. She’d pulled on her coat and gloves and grabbed a bite to eat off Daniel’s plate before hurrying out into the wintery night.

The drive to the sheriff’s station was a short one, but she’d still found ample time to fret and be angry with her son.

As she pulled up she noticed Emma’s car already in the lot and cursed inwardly. There was simply no way this wasn’t going to be difficult. 

Their local station wasn’t large, but they were very efficient. The town had a higher crime rate than you would imagine for one of its size and people were grateful to have a decent sheriff rather than your typical small town lazy old coot. 

Regina was greeted by the sheriff himself, David Nolan, a family friend, and one of his deputies, who Regina intensely disliked, Killian Jones.  
Emma was standing in the corner, arms folded, leaning against the stone wall. 

Behind them Damon and two other teenagers were sitting sullenly in the holding cell, all of them handcuffed. 

“Regina, thanks for coming down, sorry to have to call during dinner time.” David began, greeting her from where he was leaning one hip on his desk.

“Killian and I were out on patrol when we caught this lot hanging around on the Toll Bridge, we pulled over to check everything was alright, they were acting very suspicious and the air smelt distinctively like cannabis, so we searched them, and we found this on your boy.” David informed them, his tone serious as he pulled out an evidence bag containing several ounces of weed. 

Regina eyed it warily, exhaling and counting to ten before reacting. “Was he the only one carrying?” She asked briskly, her lawyer attitude kicking in. 

“No, the two girls he was with, one had it on her as well, but less, and the other had no weed but have seven concealed knives on her person.”

Regina put her head in her hands briefly before looking over at her son then back at the sheriff. “What’s his bail?”

“A grand, he’s got four ounces there Regina, the legal limit in Maine is 2 and half, he’s facing up to six months jail time and 8 grand in fines.” David told her apologetically, though he wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know. “You can take him home, but he’ll be in court in two weeks.”

“Fucks sake.” Regina complained, this news simply too much on top of the day she’d already had. 

“What the hell were you thinking Damon?” Emma demanded of their son, addressing him as she paced across the office. “Why would you be so stupid?”

“Excuse me, calling my son stupid is no way to handle this situation.” Regina objected sharply, glowering at her former lover. 

“When OUR son stops being stupid and trying to lash out like this, then I will stop telling him how stupid he is being.” Emma argued, affronted at being called out on her parenting. 

“Take your shirts off and then we can all enjoy this fight.” Killian Jones joined the conversation rudely, grinning at his own perceived cleverness. 

“Exfuckingcuse me?” Regina snarled, turning on the deputy with truly spectacular ferocity.

“It’s a compliment love, most men aren’t into dykes, but I’d be into it.” He carried on, his arrogant manner only adding insult to injury. 

“Kilian!” David’s voice was stern, the sheriff appalled by his deputy’s behaviour. “Apologize to Miss Swan and Miss Mills immediately.”

“Alright, alright, keep your shirt on love, was only having you on.” He attempted to charm her with his smile, but Regina only wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“You better watch yourself Jones.” She seethed, her hand itching to slap his arrogant smirk right off his face. 

“Let’s calm this thing down, Killian, fuck off, Regina, Emma, I apologize sincerely for him, but its getting late and I’m sure you want to go home.” David shuffled the papers on his desk uncomfortably for a second before continuing. “Which of you am I releasing him to?”

“That would be me.” Regina informed him, pulling out her credit card. 

Emma visibly bit her lip but didn’t contest the decision. “Well, clearly you have our children under perfect control, so I’ll be going.”

Regina ignored her barb and paid her sons bail to the sheriff. “Thanks for not calling his father.” Regina said to David as he processed the release form. 

“I would never do that.” David assured her. “I actually had a moral dilemma over calling Emma.” He handed the papers to Regina and squeezed her hand warmly. “I know what you’re going through is hard, and that Mary Margaret and I were both of your friends, and I don’t know the whole story, but we are both here for you Regina. I’m very angry about what Emma has done to you and your family. If there’s anything you need please don’t hesitate to call us.”

“Thank you, sheriff, I appreciate it.” Regina said graciously, grateful for his support. She hadn’t always gotten along with David, or his wife, but they’d grown closer in recent years.  
David unlocked the cell and escorted Damon to his mother, un-cuffing him and giving him back his cell phone and personal effects.  
“Now don’t let me see you back in here.” David told the boy sternly and nodded to Regina as they left. 

Together, mother and son walked to their car in silence, and drove home without speaking.  
Once they’d pulled into her father’s drive way and she’d shut the engine off, Regina turned in her seat to face her oldest son. Snow began falling outside the vehicle, glowing in the darkness. 

“Say something to me Damon.” Regina ordered him, her voice filled with disappointment. 

Damon shifted uncomfortably, his piercing blue eyes unable to meet his mother’s intense gaze.

“I fucked up.” He said eventually, his deep voice distorted with regret. “I’m sorry I let you down.” Elbow propped on the window he pressed his fist to his mouth and he tried to suppress his emotions.

“I just don’t want you to jeopardize your future.” Regina said softly, taken aback at her son’s obvious remorse. She had been expecting him to be sullen and defiant and instead he seemed as torn up about it as she was. 

“At least I know a good lawyer.” He cracked, wiping his eyes fiercely. 

“God baby come here.” Regina leaned across the car and wrapped her son, who was much taller than her, in a hug as a few tears of her own spilled onto her cheeks. “You’re still in a lot of trouble though young man.” 

 

“I know.” Damon accepted this, hugging her tightly, her comfort making him feel even younger than he already did.

“And you’re going to tell me who those girls are and I’m going to be calling their mothers.” She added as she released him.  
Damon nodded his agreement and they headed inside. 

Exhausted and overwhelmed, but ever the caring mother, Regina checked on all of her sons before finally collapsing into her bed in her father’s guest room.  
Her head barely hit the pillow before she was out to the world, sleep finally ending the horrific day and giving her battered heart a brief respite from its fresh pain.


	7. Chapter 7

Regina was up with the dawn come Saturday morning.   
She had to almost physically drag her sons out of their beds/couches and get them fed and bundled into winter weather gear. Emma was taking the kids to her family’s cabin on the lake just out of Storybrooke. It was frozen over like it always was this time of year and all of their children were avid skaters, just like their mothers. 

Regina was weary, Emma hadn’t reacted very well to Damon’s arrest earlier in the week and had yet to make much effort to make the situation work. 

On the positive side Regina had barely seen Belle at her firm for the rest of the week, and hunt for a new house was going well. She had several prospective houses to look at over the weekend, and she also had a rather interesting appointment at their local diner, Granny’s at 10 that morning. 

She was meeting the anonymous donor father of her and Emma’s youngest son, Daniel, and the child Regina was currently growing in her belly. 

The man had reached out to her just after her shock split from Emma, and she had agreed to meet him. She was curious about his motives, and a little apprehensive to meet him, especially after finding out his name was supposedly Robin Hood. Like the fairy-tale character. 

She still hadn’t told a soul of her plans. She wanted desperately to talk it through with someone but she had no options. Her kids didn’t need the unnecessary hurt, her father always supported her no matter what so he wouldn’t be objective, and Emma had been her best friend and confident, their split leaving her the most alone she’d ever been in her life, and leaving her with no one to confide in.

The local sheriff, David, and his wife, Mary Margaret had shown Regina their support, they kept sending them food, and though she was grateful she simply wasn’t close enough with them to ask their advice in such an intimate subject. 

Promptly at 8am, when all three of her sons were still bleary eyed and picking at their breakfast, the familiar sound of Emma’s car horn assaulted their eardrums. 

“Alright boys, have fun, if you need anything, call me. I’m serious. I’m here.” She wrapped Daniel in a hug and ruffled Henry’s hair after he dodged her hug. 

“And remember, give your mother a chance, I know the last few weeks have been hard for you guys, but she still loves you all. Remember that.” She told them, her eyes pricking a little as she stood up for the woman she’d spent decades loving, the woman who’d lied to her for a year and the woman who’d crushed her heart into the useless pulp it was currently. 

Damon looked sullen, Henry looked equally as dismal, only Daniel seemed excited to see his other mother, whom he had missed dearly.

“Whatever.” Damon muttered, picking up his backpack and putting on his headphones. He took Daniels hand and led him outside, Henry trailing reluctantly behind. 

Regina stood on the porch, watching them go, her brows creased into a frown as they climbed into Emma’s car. She was relieved to see Belle wasn’t in the car, but it was a small relief in comparison to her tremendous concern for how the day would fare. 

Once they were gone Regina went back inside, cleared away the breakfast mess and treated herself to a long, hot shower. Refreshed she dried herself off and dressed smartly in a black pencil skirt, a crimson blouse, black stockings and boots and a thick grey coat. She choose one that did not cling to her figure, making her baby bump less conspicuous, as she hadn’t yet informed Robin that she was currently pregnant with his biological child. 

She pulled on her matching red woollen gloves and scarf, grabbed her wallet, cell and keys, tucking them into her black leather handbag and then she too left the house.   
As per usual for her day time look she kept her makeup in neutral colours and dark, shiny hair was styled in its usual glamorous long bob.

Feeling as confident as she could with a broken heart and her stomach tied in nervous knots she drove to Granny’s, arriving five minutes before she was due to meet Robin. It was very cold out and waiting in her freezing car wasn’t an option. 

She entered the quaint diner, the strong smell of coffee making her mouth water, the hardest part of pregnancy for her being the caffeine withdrawals, and the heat from the radiators enveloping her in comforting warmth. 

The woman who ran the diner, everyone called her Granny, greeted Regina warmly and took her order for herbal tea and an apple strudel enthusiastically. There were quite a few customers, the Saturday morning buzz filling the room as Regina looked for an empty table. A booth near the back was empty and she slid into it before anyone could claim the seat.

She glanced at her phone, checking the time, it was two minutes to ten. Time felt like it was standing still. Regina’s eyes flicked between the customers, looking for Robin but she only saw people she recognized from around the town, no unknown man, no one that shared Daniel’s facial features. 

She tapped her carefully manicured nails against the table impatiently until the front door opened. The bell rang merrily, announcing the arrival of a new customer, and the arrival of a person who was about to become an important fixture in Regina’s life, whether she knew it or not.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Emma was discouraged by her son’s greetings when she picked them up from their grandfather’s house. Daniel had hugged her immediately, but there was where the good stuff ended. 

“Why did you leave me?” Daniel had wailed, instantaneously bursting into tears, his six year old brain too overwhelmed with the split to have any other reaction. Damon and Henry both just sat sullenly, the older boy listening to music on his headphones and ignoring her completely, the younger one looking uncomfortable. 

Emma had done her best to satiate Daniel, her heart wrenching in two as he looked at her with betrayal, but soldiering through until he’d calmed down. 

The drive the lake house was uncomfortably quiet, the tension so thick Emma felt like she would suffocate. 

It’s true she hadn’t taken to motherhood like most women. She had struggled to bond with Henry as a baby, breast feeding was difficult for her and as Regina had already raised a kid it had been so easy for her to pass off the baby duties to her. 

And while Regina had tended to the baby, Emma had found delight in the years older Damon. He was an adventurous child and he was thrilled to go on exciting adventures with her.

They had bonded strongly, as she had with Henry when he got older as well. She liked being in charge, she liked the responsibility and she felt like a lioness protecting her cubs when she was with them.

When she had seen how much Regina wanted her career she had volunteered to be the stay at home parent. She had been a manager of a store but she had no love for the job. Even though she didn’t feel much emotional connection to her children as babies, once they grew up a little and showed personality and went on adventures with her, then she really went through that fierce motherly bonding. 

She did struggle with showing emotions, and she did find herself taking on the stricter, more disciplined role, especially as she often found Regina’s emotional connection to the boys clouded her judgement. 

Where her wife would let them sleep in their bed after a nightmare, she insisted they go back to their beds, her logic being, if you fall off a horse, you get back on it. That’s how she was raised and she wanted her sons to be strong men, not coddled mama’s boys. 

Despite their different ideas on parenting though she and Regina had always managed to compromise, they communicated well and they never let the sun set on argument. And she had loved her. God she had loved her. Regina was perhaps the only person Emma had ever truly shown her soul too, and certainly the only person she displayed deep emotions for.

Heck, before the day she had finally confessed her affair toe Regina, she hadn’t cried in almost a decade. Since that day Emma was entirely certain a day had gone by that she hadn’t cried. 

She didn’t know how she had fallen in love with Belle, or how she had fallen out of love with Regina. But it had hit her one day, as she left Belle behind, her lover lounging naked, so young and nubile, in her bed, talking of jetting to Paris, and arrived home to Regina, her wife stressed, pregnant and rushing around after the kids, and she had felt a change in her heart. 

Regina never prioritised Emma anymore. It was always about the kids, about having another baby, about painting the kitchen. So boring.

And there was Belle, an incredibly young, gorgeous, kinky girl who had seduced her so completely, just begging to be Emma’s new adventure. 

Her choice hadn’t been easy. You can’t love someone for so long and fall out of love without some confusion and trauma. But she had chosen, even though it had been hard. 

However working up the courage to tell Regina had been so much harder, and literally took her months. 

And now, here she was, so sure she’d made the right decision, and yet completely miserable. 

It’s only because you missed your kids, she told herself as she and the boys skated on the sparkling ice of the lake. 

But you never even loved them that much before, a tiny voice in the back of her head whispered, making tears of guilt gather in her eyes until she wiped them away fiercely. 

Angry at herself Emma skated to the edge of the lake and sat down in the snow, fiercely repeating the same words over and over again. 

No. I do love them. I don’t love Regina. And I do love Belle. 

I do love them. I don’t love Regina. And I do love Belle.

I do love them. I don’t love Regina. And I do love Belle.


	8. Chapter 8

“Good morning, Regina?” A warm, deep, voice interrupted Regina’s anxious thoughts, and brought her attention back to the diner. In front of her stood a tall, handsome man, he appeared strong and a little roguish, and looked so much like her son Daniel, he was unmistakeably the man she was supposed to meet today.

“Robin?” She asked, pulling herself together and standing to offer him her hand. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him, she couldn’t believe how familiar he looked.

“So good to meet you, thank you for agreeing to see me.” Robin Hood sounded a little nervous, but his eyes were kind, and he shook Regina’s hand confidently.

As they both sat, across the table from one another, Regina finally managed to stop staring, and notice that Robin’s own gaze seemed to keep darting toward her rounded middle section, apparently her attempt to hide her baby bump with a loose coat wasn’t working.

Instinctively she put a hand on her pregnant stomach protectively, and frowned, suddenly concerned that she was being very stupid, meeting this stranger.

Robin instantly picked up on her shift in disposition and his face became instantly apologetic. “I’m so sorry, I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I just, well, is that mine?” He asked, his tone still courteous, but underlined with an excitement Regina found too pure to resist.

“Well, not legally.” She said, but her tone came out sharper than she had intended.

“I mean, yes, technically this is your baby.” She added with a softer tone and offered him a small smile.

Robin returned her smile and folded his hands on the table. They looked well worn, and Regina had noticed they felt a little rough when she’d shaken his hand.

“I honestly don’t know what to say.” Robin began, the conflict of this meeting clear on his face.

“Why don’t we start with you telling me about yourself? Is Robin Hood actually your name?” Regina interrupted, keen to be the one directing the conversation.

“Believe it or not, you are not the first person who has asked me that.” Robin admitted with a chuckle. “Yes, apparently my mother had a wry sense of humour.”

“Have you asked her why she named you after a fairy-tale?” Regina asked, interested.

“Unfortunately I didn’t get to meet her really, I was orphaned when I was 4.” Robin spoke honestly, and he waved away Regina’s attempt to apologise for bringing it up. “It’s no matter.”

“So, you own a business?” Regina changed the subject, embarrassed at her previous faux-par.

“Yes I do, when I left the orphanage I apprenticed with a local carpenter and worked my way from there. Now I’m supposed to just sit in an office while people make my designs and ship them off, but I’ve never been much good at paperwork.” Robin told his story with a shrug and paused to allow the waitress to deliver Regina’s order, and placed his own.

“May I ask a little about you?” He asked as Regina took a sip of her tea.

She nodded and replaced her cup on its saucer.

“I’m a lawyer, I was married, but we’re in the middle of divorce. And I have three, beautiful boys.” Regina told him, her face lighting up when she mentioned her children.

“I’m sorry about your marriage.” Robin offered her as he accepted the coffee brought to him by their waitress.

“Me too.” Regina replied dryly.

“Your sons, how old are they?” Robin asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

“18, 10, and 7.” Regina said, slowly starting to feel at ease with the man sitting across from her.

“The oldest, Damon, is my biological son, then Henry, the middle, is my ex-wife Emma’s, and then the youngest, Daniel, much like the child I’m carrying at the moment, are, mine and yours.” She explained to him, leaving out the messy history with the older two children’s fathers.

Robin looked genuinely interested as Regina spoke. “What an amazing family, sorry I didn’t realize you were married to a woman, I had been curious for your reasons for using a donor, but I guess that explains the need.”

His words weren’t unkind, Regina being married to a woman didn’t seem to faze him at all, and that kind of acceptance never failed to impress Regina, especially as she’d already faced a lifetime of bigotry.  

“It certainly does. So why did you decide to be a donor?” Regina asked him, curious, especially since supposedly he’d ‘had a change of moral ground’ according to the woman from the clinic.

Robin surprised Regina by actually blushing. “The harsh truth of the matter, is I donated back when my business was struggling take off and I needed to pay my rent. At high class clinics like the one I went to, they pay a decent amount for quality donations. And my family has a near perfect medical and very good genetic history.”

Regina felt sorry for Robin, he looked so ashamed. She reached across the table enveloped his hands in one of hers. “It doesn’t matter what motivated you. My family wouldn’t be complete if you hadn’t done it.”

Robin squeezed her hand but shook his head. “I was young, I didn’t think about the possible children, I thought only of making a quick dime. Only recently have I learned the value of family, that’s why I recently reached out to the clinic. I hoped they hadn’t been used, I was worried my reasons would have consequences.”

“Well they have been used.” Regina removed her hand, her tone cold, automatically defensive.

“Yes, and I can see that it didn’t matter. I’m so glad something thoughtless I did, has become so meaningful because of you.” Robin fiddled with his cup awkwardly. “I’m sorry, I’ve interrupted your life pointlessly.”

“Nonsense.” Regina replied curtly. “It wasn’t pointless. I admire you following up on something you weren’t satisfied with.”

She reached into her handbag and pulled out her wallet. From it she passed the photos of her sons that she carried with her everywhere she went.

Robin looked them over, his eyes becoming shiny with emotion when he reached Daniel’s photo. “He looks so much like me, but thankfully has enough you to make him beautiful.” Robin’s voice was rough with emotion and all but convinced Regina that this man had not entered her life with anything but genuinely pure intentions.

“His name is Daniel.” Regina told him softly. “The others are Damon and Henry.”

“Daniel.” Robin repeated, sniffing as he quickly wiped his eye. “It’s a good name.”

He handed the photos back to Regina and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

“This is my son, Roland. He’s four.” He informed her, turning his phone on to show her a photo of a curly-haired, smiling boy as his lock screen.

“You have a son?” Regina was taken aback. “He’s lovely.” She ran a hand over her 3-month old bump, and wondered what this whole interaction would mean for the future.

“Yes, I do, and I’m sorry if it seems like I was hiding that, I just didn’t know how to do any of this.” Robin apologised again.

“It’s totally fine. Is there a Mrs Hood?” She asked tentatively, Robins lack of mentioning her leading her to believe there probably wasn’t.

Robin shook his head ruefully. “There was, but she walked out on us two months ago. Her abandonment of me, and mostly of Roland, is what made me realize how much parents matter. And then I became worried about the donations from years before.”

“I’m sorry. And I don’t blame you.” Regina said honestly. “I just don’t want you to think of your choice as a mistake. My children aren’t mistakes.”

“No, I could never think that, not now that I’ve met you.” Robin agreed with a smile.

Their meeting had reached a good place and Regina wanted to quit while the going was good.

“I have to go. I have appointments to meet, but I’m we met today, and well, you have my email, I guess contact me if you have any more concerns.” She knew she sounded formal but she didn’t know how else to end the conversation.

She put some money by her cup and stood, Robin followed suit and walked with her to the door.

“Regina, thank you.” Robin said, completely heartfelt as she walked past him onto the cold street.

She turned back to him, a smile playing around her lips as she spoke.

“You’re welcome, Robin Hood.”


	9. Chapter 9

While Regina spent the rest of the weekend viewing houses and trying not to check her email, Emma was trying to connect wither her kids, and make her girlfriend do the same.

“I don’t know why I have to hang out with your kids.” Belle huffed from where she was sitting on the kitchen counter. Emma sighed and stopped pouring their wine to give her lover an exasperated look.

“ _Because_ they’re my kids.”

“But you’ve spent the last year coming to me and complaining about how draining they are, and promising me a future with just us in it.” Belle whined, pouting before blowing on her freshly manicured nails.

Emma couldn’t argue that. So many nights she’d stormed out of an angry argument with Regina and dealt with it by fucking Belle with the kind of intensity one couldn’t have without burning rage. When the kids pissed her off, when they were misbehaving, fighting or frustrating her, she would lock herself in her bedroom. And she’d video chat Belle at the office and have nasty video cam sex to release the tension.

Belle was her reprieve. And she had wanted nothing but Belle.

But once she’d left. She had realized, she missed her sons not being around.

And even though it had been her plan to leave it all behind, now, now she was determined to keep some of her old life, while making a new one.

“Just be cool. Regina’s probably filling their heads with horrible things about you, she lied to me the other day, said you had bothered with her with some list or something, so just be prepared for some backlash.” Emma warned her, re-corking the wine bottle, then taking a sip from her full glass.

“Ugh, Regina is such a cow.” Belle complained, choosing to conceal the truth of her lover’s ex-wife’s words.

“I know. Believe me, I know.” Emma handed her girlfriend a glass of wine and planted a kiss on her plump mouth.

“Mm, we could just leave those kids of yours watching TV, and you could try out that new strap on…” Belle murmured, glass in one hand, the other catching Emma’s chin and holding her head still so she could kiss her harder.

Emma breathed in Belles sweet perfume and found her tongue inside the other girl’s mouth as she moved closer to the bench and stood between her knees.

Belle wrapped her legs around Emma and shuffled closer, pressing her crotch against her, showing her desire as she moaned softly. She set her wine aside and entwined her hands in Emma’s long blonde hair.

“Fuck me Emma, right here on this counter.” Belle moaned, and slipped a hand into her own pants and pushed her fingers into her core, where she was already wet with arousal.

“My god you’re dirty.” Emma panted as she grinded against her girlfriend and put her hands up the sitting girl’s shirt and squeezed her large breasts.

They continued like this for a few more seconds before freezing in place when they noticed someone slow clapping from the doorway. Emma whirled around to find Damon, her oldest, leaning against the kitchen doorframe, his expression incredulous. He gave them one final clap before crossing his arms.

“I see your priorities are in order Mom.” He said sarcastically as both women fumbled to straighten their hair and clothes.

“Damon, we were just about to join you guys.” Emma started, nervous under the judgemental gaze of her son.

“Don’t bother, I’ve already called Mom, she’s on her way to get us.” Damon gave his mother one final look of disgust before turning and leaving the kitchen.

“Damon, kids, you don’t need to go.” Emma called desperately, following Damon as he headed for the front door where her other sons were already waiting with their coats and hats on.

“Yeah we do.” Damon replied, taking Daniel’s hand and leading him out the door.

“Henry?” Emma whispered before bursting into tears when her biological son shook his head.

All three exited, and Emma could see Regina’s car in her driveway.

Belle came to stand beside her, and they watched the kids trek through the snow and climb into their other mothers car.

Emma squeezed Belle’s hand tightly as Regina reversed out of the drive and drove away quickly, taking their kids with her.

“Don’t worry about it.” Belle soothed Emma, rubbing the taller girl’s shoulders. “Come upstairs and I’ll make you forget about it.”

Emma wiped her tears away and managed a small smile as she closed the front door.

“Fuck me until all I can think about is you.”


	10. Chapter 10

The next week or so saw Regina and her children choose a house, and move out from her father’s place and into their new home. It was a large house, one of the oldest in Storybrooke, and one of the nicest looking. It was two story’s, the exterior had wooden panelling and was painted white, it had a blue steel roof, and a porch, complete with white marble columns and a loveseat swing.

The boys each got their own bedroom, plus there was a nursery next to Regina’s room for her unborn child and two spare rooms. The bathrooms were all bronze and marble and it had a large kitchen for Regina. The kids were about as happy as they could be, given the situation, but all of them had at least agreed on the house, so that was positive.

Her father was sad to see them go, and though she liked being close to him Regina was relieved to be standing on her own two feet again. She wired a large sum of money to her father’s bank account, despite his protests, to thank him for taking them in, and left him with a batch of his favourite biscuits.

The new house was quite large, and even once they’d finished unpacking, there was still an emptiness in the air, one that Regina found uncomfortable, and she hoped none of her sons had noticed it.

On top of that, she had to face sleeping alone.

It hadn’t hit her as hard at her father’s house, especially because Daniel and Henry had been upset about the split and the move, and had often accompanied her sleep.

The third night in the house, after the little boys had gotten used their new rooms, was the first night she’d have to face the truth.

She’d locked up the house, turned out the lights, and tucked her kids into their beds. She changed into her black silk pyjama pants and shirt, which her baby bump was now protruding out of a little bit, brushed her teeth, washed off her makeup, and moisturised, and now she had no choice but to go to bed.

And she did, but even in her familiar, luxurious, king-sized, four-poster bed, with her favourite red comforter, silk sheets, and plush pillows, she felt terrifyingly, achingly alone.

She was lying on her side, with one hand on her belly, seeking comfort in the movement of her baby, and staring through the darkness at the empty space beside her in the bed.

She wished she didn’t miss Emma. She wished Emma hadn’t left. She wished Emma still loved her.

But wishes were for children and all Regina had was a huge hole in her heart, several thorns in her side, and a literal human in her uterus.

She knew she had to be strong.

But god damn, it was hard when she was alone in the dark.

Regina wiped a tear away from her eye, cursing inwardly, and adjusted her position to get more comfortable. She’d just settled down when she heard bare feet padding into her room. Relieved beyond words she waited for a child’s voice to whisper for her attention, but was surprised when instead, someone climbed into her bed, someone much too tall to be Daniel or Henry.

“Mom?” Damon whispered as he shimmied under her comforter.

“Yes?” She whispered back, reaching out her hand until she found his form.

“Can I stay with you?” He asked, seeming a little embarrassed, but genuine nonetheless.

“Of course.” She agreed, her eyebrows knitted with concern as she moved over so that he could fit. He lay on his back beside her, and she wrapped her hand around his arm, finding a lot of comfort having his warmth.

“Are you worried about court tomorrow?” She asked him softly, rubbing her thumb against the fabric of the hoodie he slept in.

“Yep.” He didn’t need words to express how he was feeling to his mother, his voice was choked up enough with emotion for her to get a full picture.

Regina didn’t know how to comfort her son, so she just hugged him tight. She was going to be his lawyer tomorrow, she had prepared him to plead guilty, and would fight for no jail time. She didn’t think her son deserved to go to jail for carrying slightly more weed than you were legally allowed to carry. She did want him to be punished though, certainly, and she didn’t want him using drugs at all, even the safe ones. So with that viewpoint, she didn’t know what to say to him, and instead held him until she fell asleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Waiting at the court house was incredibly tense. Henry and Daniel were staying with Regina’s father, and Regina herself was waiting with Sherriff Nolan, Emma, and parents/guardians of the other two teenagers that had been arrested, Granny, of Granny’s diner, and Mr and Mrs Fa.

Damon was sitting with his two friends, the vulnerable, scared boy that had climbed into his mother’s bed the night before was locked away deep inside, and the boy present was sprawled arrogantly on the bench, with his hood up and wearing a sullen expression.

The two girl’s also facing sentencing today were Ruby, the orphan daughter of Granny’s deceased son, and Mulan Fa, a Chinese girl whose family had only moved to Storybrooke in the last year.

Regina thought Ruby looked a bit sluttish, despite the snow she was only wearing tiny red latex shorts, and a white, ermine lined, mid-drift baring puffer jacket, huge gold hoop earrings and sparkly stilettoes. Her long brown hair had several red streaks and was a beachy mess, not to mention she was wearing more eyeliner than both of the prostitutes being incarnated beside them were between them.

The other girl, Mulan, was dressed in boy’s jeans, a plain shirt, a hoodie and Vans, similar to Damon’s. She wore no makeup, and despite the gap shaved into one of her eyebrows, she was very beautiful. Her bronze skin was smooth and her thick black hair, which was pulled back into a braid, hung past her waist. She was the one who had been caught with several knives concealed about her person. Regina couldn’t say it about a lot of people, but she found her a bit intimidating.

Emma was standing quietly, and Regina couldn’t help but notice her soon-to-be ex-wife looked tired, and her eyes were red.

Perhaps living with a 20 year old twat wasn’t as relaxing as she’d thought it would be, Regina thought inwardly with a small twinge of satisfaction.

Soon it was their turn, and the proceedings went smoothly, Regina was a good lawyer and none of the kids had prior criminal records. They all pleaded guilty, and Damon and Ruby, who’d been carrying, were sentenced with community service hours, more for Damon, since he’d been carrying more, and a five thousand dollar fine each. Mulan was charged for possession of concealed weapons, but as none were firearms and the knives were no bigger than a pocket knife she was let off with a warning.

Afterwards Emma approached Regina by her car.

“I want to have the boys again.” She said quietly, pushing the door Regina was about to go through closed, shutting Damon, who was already seated, out of hearing their conversation.

Regina sighed and folded her arms.

“I don’t think Damon will want to visit you after what happened last time.” Regina told her honestly, and unapologetically.

“What about the little ones?” Emma asked hopefully, brushing over Regina’s statement as though her oldest son being mad at her was meaningless.

“I’ll ask them.” Regina replied coldly, Emma’s dismissal not going unnoticed.

“Maybe I could have them over for dinner.” Emma suggested, desperate for more of a response from Regina.

“I’ll ask them.” Regina repeated, opening the driver’s door and sliding into her car. Emma kept trying to speak to her but she just closed the door and started the engine.

“Ready to go bub?” She asked Damon, catching his eye in the rear-view mirror.

“Floor it.” He suggested, cracking a brief smile before sinking back into his sullen exterior.

Regina chuckled and gave Emma a fake friendly wave through the window and pulled out of her park.

They had to cross town to get home and Damon requested they stop so he could buy a burger at the diner. Regina agreed and pulled up out-front and handed him some cash. “Get some for your brothers as well.”

Damon nodded and left the car, trudging through freshly fallen snow to the shop.

Regina waited in the car, turning the heat up and checking her social media until her phone alerts informed her she had a new email, one from Robin Hood.

Interested, she opened it, and couldn’t help but smile as she read, and re-read its contents.

She typed up a reply, and about to press send when her attention was caught by light reflecting off the window of the diner. She glanced up, and to her chagrin, saw Damon in passionate lip lock with his ‘friend’, Ruby.


	11. Chapter 11

“Regina, hi!” A muffled voice distracted Regina from her son’s poor romantic choices, and caused her to completely forget her unsent email to Robin Hood.

“Mary Margaret, how are you?” Regina greeted the sheriff’s wife with a friendly smile as she opened the car window.

“I’m well, and how are you, how are the kids doing?” Mary Margaret asked, her kind face and stylish pixie cut dropping into view as she crouched outside Regina’s car, and propped her arms up on the door.

“I’m doing as well as can be expected.” Regina said dryly, aware that Mary Margaret would be well aware of her marriage situation and of Damon’s newly acquired criminal record. “And the boys are fine. It’s hard for them to adjust.”

“I’m sorry to hear about everything that’s happening Regina, I hope things settle down soon.” Mary Margaret said kindly.

“Thank you. Anything new with you?  I hear they’re building a new wing on the sheriff’s station.” Regina attempted to make small talk and return the kindness Mary Margaret was showing her, even though, right now, it felt like a chore.

“It’s great, David is just thrilled.” Mary Margaret mentioned her husband fondly, before changing her tone to one that was slightly sheepish. “Actually I did have an ulterior motive when I came over.”

“Oh?” Regina raised an eyebrow, interested. Mary Margaret didn’t seem capable of having an ulterior motive.

“Next week the high school is running a workshop, one to help motivate teens to quit smoking. We need mentors who have experienced the addiction and successfully quit, I think the kids will connect better that way.” Mary Margaret seemed apologetic as she continued.

“Normally people volunteer to be mentors but we’re running short. I remember you quit a few years ago, and I wondered if you would mentor. It’s a lot to ask, but it would be such a help.” Mary Margaret paused for breath, and she looked so hopeful, despite herself, Regina couldn’t turn her down.

“Sure, I can mentor.” Regina agreed quickly, cringing as Mary Margaret literally clasped her hands in delight.

“Thank you so much Regina. It’s at 1 o’clock, Tuesday, next week. I’ll see you there!” Mary Margaret hugged Regina through the window and bade her goodbye, her excitement palpable in the air.

“Terminally delightful. Terminally.” Regina muttered to herself as she closed her window, grateful to shut out the cold. “But still a friend.” She conceded, because even though she was grating at times, she was a good friend and Regina had grown to like her.

She looked back out her window and was relieved to see Damon was already approaching the car, alone, luckily, with the food in tow.

The drive was quiet. Regina didn’t mention what she’d seen, and Damon spent the ride holding the delicious smelling food and intently texting on his phone.

They stopped at her father’s to pick up the younger boys and she listened to their news of the day until they reached home. Once there, she set them at the table with their burgers and some juice.

She didn’t feel like dinner, though her gaze did rest longingly on the case of fine wine in her pantry before she sighed with resignation and made herself a cup of herbal tea.

Later, once the younger boys had showered and been tucked into bed, and Damon had withdrawn to his room, and she’d made school lunches for the next day, and finished the laundry, and prepped her case for the next morning, Regina found a moment to herself.

Unwilling to go to bed, still all too aware of how alone she was, she ran herself a bath. Her bedroom had an en-suite, which featured a huge claw foot tub, and she had been longing to use it.

She used a bath bomb Mary Margaret has sent her in one of her many care packages, and soon she was resting in sparkling, silky, peach-coloured hot water that smelt of jasmine, orange flower and lemons. Steam and the waters delicious scent filled the room as she sank down into the tub until she was submerged up to her neck.

The relaxation was a much needed reprieve from her life, and it made her drowsy. Later, after she reluctantly climbed out of the tub and towelled her soft skin dry, she sank into her bed and went to sleep, suffering her loneliness without tears.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Though it was out of character for her, and entirely thanks to an overwhelmingly enduring court case, Regina was later to Storybrooke’s high school the following Tuesday.

Still dressed in a stylish, pin-striped pantsuit, complete with heels and a briefcase, she slipped into the assembly hall.

She gave Mary Margaret, who was the only one who noticed her entry, an apologetic look, and sat in the back row of chairs, behind where the students were siting listening to the principal announce a guest speaker.

Regina smoothed her jacket over her baby bump and crossed one leg over the other, collecting herself as she settled into her seat.

“Regina?” A familiar voice whispered, causing her to pay attention to the person seated next to her for the first time.

“Robin?” Regina whispered back, slightly astounded to see the man who was half of her children’s donor here.

“What are you doing here?” They whispered the same question over top of one another before both stopping to allow the other to speak.

“You’re a former addict as well?” Robin said quietly, his blue eyes kind when they met Regina’s dark gaze.

“Indeed. I’ve indulged during at Christmas once or twice, but its ten years without for me.” She answered, careful to keep her voice low because of the assembly, but unashamed.

“Half that and add in a relapse or two, and that’s me.” Robin admitted with a frown.

Regina smiled comfortingly, all too aware of how much a cigarette could make you feel better when you were down, and add to your enjoyment when you were happy. She hadn’t noticed the first time she’d met him, but Robin had little creases around his eyes, a sign of aging maybe, but a sign of years of laughter no doubt. And really it only increased his roguish good looks, and added an air of kindness that well suited what she had seen of his personality so far.

She was pleased to see him, but that pleasant, painless feeling felt somewhat foreign to her, all she’d felt was pain, disappointment and apprehension for weeks.

“I’m sorry if this feels like all too much. I had no idea you’d be here today.” Robin whispered to her, bringing Regina out of her thoughts and back to the present. “When you didn’t reply to my email, I accepted that you wanted our meeting to go no further.”

Regina looked at him in confusion, about to argue that she had replied, but when she ran over the scene in her head, she had been distracted by a hussy tonguing her son. Which she still hadn’t confronted him about. And it was entirely possible she hadn’t sent that email.

She pulled out her phone and checked her email, and sure enough, there was her reply, still in drafts, never sent.

“No, I wrote you a reply, it’s only now you’ve mentioned it that I’ve realised I hadn’t sent it.” Regina whispered apologetically, showing Robin the message on her phone.

Robin looked immediately more cheerful and as he read the email and smile lit up his features.

“Regina that means a lot to me. Of course I want to meet your kids.”


	12. Chapter 12

Regina and Robin had tentatively laid down plans for him to meet the kids. She didn’t want him, still a relative stranger, to come into her children’s new home and invade their privacy. Their home needed to be a place that was always their fortress, a place they could retreat to. And introducing Robin into their lives was going to be upsetting enough already.

But Regina felt a strong inclination to allow Robin this opportunity. She had used her considerable resources to run background checks on him at work, and had stalked his fairly inactive social media. Sure, it might seem crazy, but she had no intention of letting someone near her family that she mistrusted. And all she had found about Robin was that he was a good and decent guy. Successful but humble, honest, and hardworking.

She hoped she wasn’t making the wrong decision. She knew Damon’s biological father’s treatment had fucked him up irreparably, and she didn’t want that for her other sons. Robin was so different to him, but the idea of a third baby daddy in their lives was undeniably a headache.

Henry’s dad, Neal Cassidy, was a good bloke, and he made an effort to see Henry several times a year. He was sort of like a godparent, and it worked for everyone. Henry seemed cool with it. Whenever he missed his dad, Regina and Emma had always encouraged their son to call him, and Neal had never failed to be there when needed.

Damon’s “dad”, however, was a whole other story. Victor Whale, the “It” boy from Regina’s high school, the captain of the football team, class bully, and the rapist who fathered Regina’s oldest child. Despite suffering both physically and emotionally from the rape, Regina had never regretted her decision to keep her son.

When she looked at him, she didn’t feel bad, she didn’t think about her horrific experience, all she felt was love (or mild irritation, depended on what he was doing) and thought of him as her son, nothing less and nothing more. It was the same with Henry and Daniel, no matter how she got them, they were hers.

However, the problem was Victor’s ongoing presence in their lives. Thanks to ridiculous laws, he had the right to visit Damon whenever he wanted, though thankfully he hadn’t a way to take him from Regina. She had also used her lawyering skills to limit Victor’s access to Damon, after the boy had expressed fear at his father’s presence.

Despite being his rape victim, Regina had tried not to dissuade her son from seeing his father if he wanted to. However Victors true colours had shown almost immediately, and his verbal abuse and emotional manipulation had made him an enemy to Damon long before he even knew the circumstances of his conception.

As it was, Damon had a lot of anger issues and anxiety about his father, and Regina suspected the trouble he was getting in now was fuelled not only by her split with Emma, but those ongoing issues as well.

So, with all of this history in consideration, Regina thought she had a solid 50/50 chance of things working out with Robin. She hoped for an arrangement similar to the one they had with Neal. That would be ideal. And to be fair, even if it ended badly, it couldn’t be much worse than attending dinner with a man who raped you under the bleachers at your school every couple of months could it?  


She seriously doubted it could be worse than that.

And so, after weighing everything up, she had decided to introduce Robin to the family, and she’d figured it out the way she thought was best to do it.

She had made reservations at a café on the other side of town for the coming Saturday. She didn’t want to go back to Granny’s, or anywhere that people would know her, or the boys, well. The less prying eyes, the better.

She was going to tell her sons that morning, explain what was happening, and then meet Robin for lunch, and let him meet their odd little family.

She felt confident that her plan was the best it could be. Her only qualms were in regard to a certain leggy blonde who had recently done her best to destroy their family.

What was she supposed to do about Emma?

Of course it was Emma’s business, the boys were as much hers as they were Regina’s. Especially legally. She had adopted all of the boys besides Henry, whom obviously she’d given birth to. And Regina had adopted Henry. So they were equal guardians. But, considering the circumstances, Regina was unsure if she wanted to include Emma.

She couldn’t predict how her former soon-to-be ex-wife would react. Even though Regina had always been the mother hen, and Emma stern, her coldness seemed to have eclipsed her compassionate nature, and turned her into someone Regina struggled to recognize.

She was confusing Regina endlessly. On one hand, she was showing up on her doorstep in tears, ‘missing her kids’, and on the other hand, she was fucking her new girlfriend in the kitchen and neglecting those same kids, who were sitting in the very next room.

And then there was her callous reaction to Damon’s arrest.

Regina didn’t trust her, obviously, she lied to her for an entire year while she fucked someone else. But surpassing that, she was confused by her. Her choices just weren’t adding up.

However, she wasn’t sure her heart could go through figuring it all out, so, for the moment at least, she was limiting her thoughts about Emma solely to the Robin Hood situation.

By Friday afternoon, less than 24 hours before this meeting was supposed to take place, Regina was at her desk, finishing the week’s paperwork, and still undecided about telling Emma.

Unbeknownst to her, her boss, and partner in the company, Mr Gold, was down in the in his office, also keeping something from Emma. Though unlike Regina, Emma’s ignorance to his doings was of no concern to him.

“Belle, please sit.” The thin, older, man leaned forward in his chair, pressing his long fingers together as he watched curvaceous young woman seat herself across from him. His dark eyes glinted as she too leaned forward, her large, pale bosom barely contained by the tiny blouse she was wearing. It was unbuttoned scandalously low and the material was visibly straining against her voluminous cleavage.

“Mr Gold, am I in trouble?” She asked, looking up at him through lowered lashes.

“Trouble? Dearie no, I am simply worried about you.” He assured her, his gaze still resting on her cleavage. “You’re so young, are you coping with taking on Emma Swan’s family? Her oldest son is only a handful of years younger than you.”

Belle looked up, her brow creased. “It’s so hard. She was supposed to love me. Take me away from here. And now she wants them instead. It’s not fair.”

Gold shook his head sympathetically. “She’s promised you so much, and given so little.” He reached across the desk to take her delicate, manicured hand in his own. “If you ever need help, I’m here for you.”

Belle smiled and squeezed his hand. “Thank you Mr Gold. I am so grateful for everything you’ve done for me.”

Gold nodded, then dismissed her, reaching for his telephone as he watched her leave.

He dialled a number he knew well and then listened to it ring for several seconds before it picked up.

“Hello, this is Emma.” Emma Swan answered her home phone, and her cheerful tone sounded noticeably fake.

“Ms Swan, hello. Mr Gold here dearie, I’d like to invite you to dinner tomorrow evening, both you and the lovely Belle.” Mr Gold said, a sly smile crossing his features. “Please don’t disappoint me.”

“We’d love to.” Emma agreed, her tone even more forced.

“Perfect.” Mr Gold turned in his chair to look out the window, the snowy light shining a coldness across his features. “And look good dearie, I need you two to schmooze a potential client for me, we’re expanding, and I have just the building company in mind.”

Emma confirmed these instructions and he ended the phone call, entirely satisfied with his work. Slowly he turned off his computer and piled a few papers into his briefcase until Regina knocked on his open office door.

She was carrying a Chanel handbag and her briefcase, and a well fitted knee-length dress, in a stunning shade of red that Gold heartily approved of. It was almost time for school to end for the day, so she would be on her way home.

“Ah, Regina, what may I do for you?” He asked, leaving his desk to join her in the hall.

“I want you to give the McCullough case to Weaver. It’s a good case, and will be a big platform for local press. I don’t need the boost, he does.” Regina explained as they exited the building.

“Consider it done dearie.” Gold agreed, pleased Regina had noticed. “If there’s nothing else I can do for you, I will bid you good evening.”

“Good bye gold.” Regina gave him a small smile and hurried down the steps.

She reached her car and watched Gold get in his classic Cadillac, and drive away. It might have been the turmoil she already had inside, but for some reason she felt distinctly unsettled after speaking with him. But worried she was getting paranoid, Regina shook off those thoughts and pulled out of her park. She drove to the school to pick up Henry and Daniel, and then altogether they went to the grocery store and did the weeks shopping, before finally arriving home. Damon always took the bus home, and Regina could tell he was in, thanks to the rock music pulsing from behind his closed bedroom door.

Seeing her 2/3 of her kids helped lift her mood and later, as she made empanadas from scratch to serve with gazpacho for dinner, she decided that she wasn’t going to tell Emma about the meeting. At least, she wasn’t going to tell her until after the kids had met Robin.

“Boys! Dinner.” Regina called from the bottom of the stairs after she’d finished setting the table. She went back to the kitchen/dining room and untied her apron as her children thundered down the stairs. She pulled the pan of empanadas out of the oven and carried it to the table, all smiles until she saw her eldest son for the first time that day.

“Oh my god.” She exclaimed, immediately angry and concerned. She set the food down and hurried around the table to where all three boys were sitting and took Damon’s chin in her hand.

“What in hell happened to you?” She demanded, her touch gentle as she inspected the damage to her sons face. His left eye was swollen shut, the ugly black and purple bruise covered his eye, brow bone and extended down, his usually sharp cheek bone puffy and blackened. There was also a cut above the brow. His lip was split had swelled, and despite his obvious efforts to clean up, there was dried blood at the corner of his mouth.

“Nothing.” Damon whispered with a wince, his voice cracked.

“That’s not nothing.” Regina fretted, taking her hands off of him, afraid she would add to his pain.

“It’s nothing.” Damon repeated firmly, his good eye, the iris vivid blue, held Regina’s gaze strongly, and implored her to drop it.

Regina glanced at the younger boys, both whom looked concerned, and nodded. “Alright. Let’s have our dinner.” Regina sat in her chair, her mind a whirl of worries. “I’m going to treat your cut after we eat, and we’ll talk about this then, okay?”

Damon sighed and looked down at his food. “Okay.”

Dinner was pretty quiet after that, and later on, once the dishwasher was loaded, and Henry and Daniel were tucked away in their beds, Regina had Damon sit on the kitchen counter and she cleaned his wounds.

No matter how much she pressed him, he wouldn’t tell her anything. He cringed while she cleaned his wound and his entire face radiated heat the wounds. He was in real pain, and he wouldn’t tell how it happened. This meant it was something terrible, and his silence made Regina apprehensive.

Once she’d done all she could do, she sent him to bed and started making phone calls.

First the principal, who knew nothing, then Granny, of the diner, guardian of the whoreish girl she’d seen tonguing her son, who knew nothing, and then the Fa’s. They didn’t know much, however Mrs Fa informed Regina that Mulan too had come home with injuries, hers including a black eye and a broken wrist.

Regina thanked her and hung up the phone, utterly worn out. There was nothing g more she could do, so she went to bed, determined to get to the bottom of the issue the following day, certain that something had gone terribly, horribly wrong.

And she’d have to tell Emma. Another thing to look forward to. Telling her estranged wife their son had been beaten up and that she, Regina, wasn’t good enough at being a mother to figure out what had happened. Oh and her oldest son didn’t trust her enough to tell her.

And she had to tell the kids about Robin Hood before lunch.

Great. A promising day ahead then.


	13. Chapter 13

Early Saturday morning, so early his mother was still asleep, and dawn had not yet broken the dark sky, Damon Mills was awake and padding silently down the staircase, Vans sneakers in one hand, cell phone in the other. He unlocked the front door without a sound and eased it shut behind him. Once successfully outside on the porch, without waking his mother or his brothers, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly put his shoes on.

His breath was visible in the cold air, and their entire lawn was covered in a fresh layer of snow, it glowed ethereally in the darkness, making it quite easy to see despite the sun not being up yet. Damon wore Vans, tight black jeans, a grey hoodie, a black puffer vest, black woollen fingerless gloves, and a red woollen beanie. He pulled his hood over his beanie and put in his earphones.

On his phone he set his favourite playlist to shuffle, stuck his phone in his vest pocket and briefly touched his jeans pocket, confirming he had the little bag he retrieved from its hiding place under his bed. He walked down the path, the snow crunching under his feet as the first notes of ACDC’s Thunderstruck began pounding in his ears.

He walked several blocks through Storybrooks suburbs, soon leaving the wealthy neighbourhood where he lived behind and entering the quaint middle class area. His face hurt badly, especially in the cold air, and despite his best efforts, his kept watering at the pain.

It was weird, having so much of your face swollen. He couldn’t touch it, and properly gage the swelling, it was much too sore for that, but his face felt so much bigger than it usually did. And he looked horrific. His mom had been horrified, and especially as he looked at it that morning, he understood her freaking out.

And, he desperately wanted her help with this situation he found himself stuck in, but he had promised silence, and silent he would stay.

Another half hour passed and Damon had crossed over the railway line, and entered Storybrooke’s ‘ghetto’.

As far as ghettos go, it was pretty rough. The current mayor of Storybrooke, Albert Spencer, was a cruel and cunning figure, and he gave no shits about the poorer residents of his town. Both of Damon’s moms had backed contenders against Spencer for every election he could remember, so he was quite well read up on the situation.

Damon arrived outside a rambling apartment building, one that was so disfigured, broken and vandalized that it looked like it should have been torn down decades before now.

He walked around the outside, careful not to disturb the sleeping homeless man on the front step, until he was standing below Ruby’s window.

She was three story’s up and her bedroom was on the outer wall, which was helpful for sneaking past her over-protective grandmother.

Damon text her to let her know he was there and turned his music off. He was rolling up his earphones and zipping them into a vest pocket when Ruby appeared at the window.

Quietly, she lifted the window up, and climbed onto the narrow ledge. She had to crouch, because she was so tall, but it was her long limbs that made her escape route possible. Damon watched with his usual mix of fear and awe as the gorgeous girl folded herself out the window, and extended one shapely leg until her foot, clad in a black thigh-high stiletto boot, found a well-worn groove in the brick chimney that went from the base of the house to the roof.

She pushed herself up and transferred her whole body to the chimney, using broken bricks as foot and hand holds, her route a well-practiced one. She reached back and closed the window, and then, deftly shimmied down the chimney until she was close enough to the ground to jump down.

She handed in her stiletto boots in the snow with ease and picked her way over to Damon.

“You enjoy the view?” She asked breathlessly as she pulled him into a hug.

“Always.” Damon retorted, hugging her voluptuous frame to him tightly.

“You look terrible.” She observed bluntly as they let go and walked back onto the street.

“Yup. And it feels worse than it looks.” Damon confirmed, cracking a pretty hideous smile.

“Aw, you were so cool though. Those guys look way worse than you.” Ruby reassured him, skipping ahead and turning back to flash him one her stunning smiles.

Her long brown hair was in its usual bed-head waves, the red streaks running through it added to her signature chaos. Her face was angular, with high cheek bones, a chiselled jaw, huge green eyes, thick eyebrows and big, pouty lips. She accentuated her features with heavy black eyeliner, black shadow and blood red lipstick, which was a dramatic look against her naturally pale skin.

She was tall, almost as tall as Damon, taller when she wore heels, which was always, and she was lean and toned. She was thin yes, but had undeniably luscious feminine curves, which included ample cleavage and an enviable ass.

She was dressed in the most clothes Damon had ever seen her in, the freezing temperatures forcing even Ruby to be mostly sensible. In addition to her thigh high black stiletto boots, she was wearing tight black vinyl pants, a red puffer jacket, which had a fur lined hood, a black scarf, and black fingerless leather gloves.

Her nails were painted scarlet red and she was wearing huge gold hoop earrings, along with her other piercings that included a small gold hoop through the left side of her nose, and several little golden star studs in various places on her ears. She also had a silver barbell through each of her nipples, but those weren’t on display today.

She had no problem keeping up with Damon in her heels, in fact she often walked ahead of him, well used to treks in such footwear. She wasn’t one to sacrifice fashion for practicality. They walked until they reached the very edge of town. They were in the industrial area, which was oddly quiet, since it was too early for work to begin.

Ahead of them was the Toll bridge, which was the only road across the raging, freezing river below. The road led into the thick forestry that surrounded Storybrooke, and just became a hunting trail after a few miles.

However, about a mile into the forest there was an old playground, abandoned now, and grown over, basically just a part of the forest, and no one ever went there.

That was their destination.

Damon and Ruby hung back, hiding behind an old shipping container while they checked to see if anyone was around. Ever since their arrest, most nights a police officer was stationed by the bridge, sitting in a cop car, just waiting to catch them holding again.

Today, as they had hoped, the coast was clear. Silently Ruby and Damon fist bumped each other, pleased with the ingenious idea to go in the morning.

Keeping low, they followed the road to the bridge, warily looking around the whole time they were crossing, until they successfully reached the other side.

The forest was so thick there was little snow to contend with, and they reached the old playground successfully. In the middle was a huge tree, and nestled amongst its strong branches was a tree house. Once that was truly too epic to have just been left behind, but alas time is cruel. It was Ruby who had initially found it, and eventually shared its location with her friends, and it had become theirs.

It was aged, but not altogether too weather beaten, and very sturdy. Damon and Ruby climbed up the wooden ladder nailed to the tree, careful to avoid the rotting sections, and pulled themselves, one after the other, up through the hatch, and into their treehouse.

Waiting inside for them was the third member of their group, Mulan, who was sprawled on a blanket, a heavy backpack beside her, and her right arm in full cast and sling across her chest.

“Guys, it’s almost dawn, I was worried you’d been caught.” She greeted them as she sat up, wincing as she moved her arm.

“This guy only just arrived at mine.” Ruby passed the blame with ease, sitting herself down beside Mulan and grabbing her backpack.

“This guy had to walk several miles further than either of you.” Damon reminded them a little snappily as he sat down beside Ruby.

They eased into good natured ribbing after that, followed by Mulan expressing her regret at Damon’s injuries, and Damon telling her she must never be sorry. Both he and Ruby asked about her arm, which she confirmed was broken, technically a broken wrist, which was thankfully a clean break.

Mulan had very long black hair, it was shiny, full, and as per usual pulled back in a braid. Her almond shaped eyes were framed by thick lashes and angled eyebrows. She had high cheeks bones, a heart shaped face and a small rosebud shaped mouth. Her skin was a delicate, pale brown, and she had a few freckles. She had delicate features, and was small, thin and strong. She had an athletic build, which included a pretty flat chest, and narrow hips. She wore mascara and a little black eyeliner but otherwise no makeup.

Mulan often dressed similarly to Damon, and today was no exception. She was wearing blue jeans, Converse, a green hoodie, a black puffer jacket and a snapback hat under both her hoodie and the fur lined hood of her jacket.

They stored blankets and cushions in a wooden box in the tree house, and the three of them piled them on to battle the cold. Mulan had brought snacks and water in her backpack, and Damon produced a bag of marijuana from his jeans pocket. Ruby set about cutting the dried green buds and rolling them into rice paper, her expertise in this field unrivalled.

She’d also nicked a plastic vial of her grandmother’s anxiety pills. Each of the teenagers swallowed a handful, eager for the chilled out high Ruby promised they’d give.

Mulan plugged her phone into the mini speaker she took everywhere and filled their tree house with current hits. Soon the three of them were huddled close together with their blankets, under a haze of smoke as they passed a blunt around and belted out the lyrics to their favourite songs.

The dawn of the day shone through the thick foliage of the forest, sending rays of weak sunlight into the tree house and the surrounding playground.

It was close to 8am as the sun began to shine down on Storybrooke, on what would become a very significant Saturday for the Mills/Swan family.

Damon was getting stoned with his best friends, the drugs providing an escape from his physical pain and a rescue from his problems. Across the river, back in town, the day for most people was just beginning.

Back at home, Henry was awake, and reading comic books in his bed, entirely unbothered by the world around him, and looking forward to the familiar smell of Saturday pancakes.

Daniel was fast asleep in bed, with his blankets up to his ears, and his favourite toy, a soft giraffe named Jake, snuggled in his arms.

Regina was standing in her shower, naked under the stream of hot water. Her hands rested on her rounded belly, and her baby kicked enthusiastically at her touch.

Several streets away, Emma lay in her bed, clad in nothing but her white cotton sheets, her tanned skin and blonde hair stark against the crisp white. Emma stared at the ceiling, and ran her fingers across her exposed nipples stimulating them idly. Nestled between her thighs was Belle, whose tongue was expertly accosting Emma’s core, especially the sweet nub at the top of her folds.

Emma breathed deeply and looked down, her eyes focusing on Belles shape under the sheet. Her hands were easing up her body to hold her breasts, and for some unknown reason, Emma imagined Belle’s pale, manicured fingers were instead Regina’s olive skinned, slender ones. She clutched the hands, blocking them from view, and arching her back as her imagination took hold, and the woman between her legs became Regina.

She thrust into the tongue that was pleasuring her, and began purring with excitement, moaning aloud as her orgasm built. Then, suddenly the pressure was removed from her clitoris and Belle’s head popped up from under the blanket, her face twisted into a frown.

“Did you just moan for Regina?” She demanded, her eyes flashing angrily.

“What? No.” Emma defended herself quickly, unsure of what she had said aloud, but certainly guilty of thinking of the other woman.

“Even after all I’ve sacrificed to be with you.” Belle said huffily, scrambling out of the sheets, her heavy breasts swinging impressively as she excited the bed.

“I did too.” Emma replied, trying to keep her voice sweet. She’d sacrificed a lot more than Belle, who she didn’t really think Bella had had to sacrifice anything really. But she didn’t want to fight and she was horny.

“Come back to bed Belle.” The blonde pleaded, slipping a couple of fingers into her entrance and stimulating herself.

“Get fucking Regina to do it.” Belle shouted as she stalked away and slammed the en-suite bathroom door shut behind her.

“Don’t be stupid!” Emma pleaded futilely, but no reply came from the bathroom.

She heaved a heavy sigh and rolled over to her beside dressing table. She pulled out a large, vivid blue vibrator and switched it on.

“I guess I’ll just finish up myself.” She called out, but again no response from Belle.

Emma rolled her eyes and inserted the sex toy inside herself, and pressed her own fingers against her nub. She didn’t know why Regina was suddenly on her mind, but as she fingered herself to orgasm that morning, with the freshly risen sun shining in through her window, it was Regina she imagined to be pleasuring her.


End file.
